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Authorities of Azerbaijani consuls to increase

18 January 2007 15:52 (UTC +04:00)

â€œAzerbaijan has 39 embassies in foreign countries, 4 permanent offices under international organizations and 5 consulates general. Several more diplomatic offices and consulates are expected to be opened in 2007,â€? Foreign Ministry Consulate Department chief Nadir Huseynov said in his exclusive interview to the APA. He said that the Foreign Ministry has prepared the new consulate Regulations of Azerbaijan and presented it to the Parliament.
â€œAccording to the Regulations, the authorities of our diplomatic offices and consulates will increase. One of these authorities is the identification and giving corresponding certificates. It will allow identification of the Azerbaijani citizens reaching a certain age and having no identity card,â€? he said.
Huseynov said that another authority is the officilalizing of the citizen passports of the Azerbaijani citizens through diplomatic offices and consulates. The Regulations of â€œReturn Certificate Azerbaijan Republicâ€? prepared by the Foreign Ministry was also presented to the Parliament. This regulation sets the rules of granting the â€œReturn Certificate to Azerbaijan Republicâ€? by consul and embassies to Azerbaijani citizens that are under 18, born in foreign country, lost passports in foreign courtiers or the expiry period of documents ended. According to his words, after the last amendments to law on State Dues Azerbaijani citizens who study or engaged in pedagogical activity abroad, at the same time citizens that were released from foreign detention wards or deported to the country were free of paying $40 due for getting returning certificate which substitutes the passport. The amount of dues for getting visa in Azerbaijan is defined in correspondence with the dues defined for Azerbaijani citizens in those countries.
Huseynov noted that, FM Consulate Department studied the experience of transition to the new stage of passports which is provided with biometric information by the assistance of diplomatic offices and consuls, and presents it to the commission established on this purpose. The chief of the department touched on the implementation of simplified visa regime between Nakhchivan and Iran.
Through memorandum on passenger traffic was signed between the two governments in 2005, simplified visa regime can not be applied because of Iranâ€™s non-execution of state procedures. We hope that the obstacles in Iran will be removed for implementation of signed memorandum,â€? he said.
Huseynov noted that Consulate Department registers diplomatic and service identity cards of Azerbaijani citizens.
Azerbaijani citizens have been issued 550 diplomatic and 2800 service identity cards. The period of identity cards registered by the Registration Department of the Ministry of Interior Affairs has been extended from 5 to 10 years and the period of identity cards registered issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been extended from 3 to 5 years in order to ensure the protection of rights of citizens living abroadâ€?, he said
He mentioned that Azerbaijan has an agreement on entrance-exit of citizens having diplomatic and service identity cards without visa with Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, China, Hungary, Cuba, Laos, Mongolia, Slovakia, Rumania and other CIS countries.
The chief stated that most of Azerbaijanisâ€™ appeal to the diplomatic representation and consulates are related to the registration of act of citizenâ€™s condition, notary operations, making visa and identity cards official, getting testification of return to the country, legalization of documents, organization of right defense and etc. Touching upon foreignersâ€™ visa issuing, he said that Ministry of Interior Affairs Migration Service deals with their registration. He said that entrance visas are issued by the Azerbaijani consulates abroad, also by their visa departments in Heydar Aliyev and Ganja Airports.
â€œThe citizens of the state which has no official consulate or diplomatic representation in Azerbaijani airports, are issued an entrance visa through the invitation of state bodies and organizationsâ€?, he added. /APA/